Daily Archives: January 3, 2012

Movie Reviews

Movie Review – Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Directed by Guy Ritchie

Starring Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Paul Anderson, Kelly Riley, and Rachael McAdams.

Backstory

When I saw the first Sherlock Holmes film, I kind of liked it. In a way, it served as my first true exposure to the Sherlock Holmes universe, I liked the chemistry between Downey and Law, it had some great action sequences, but it didn’t really blow me away. That being said, though, I did like it enough that when the sequel came around, I decided to drop my money down and go see the further adventures of Holmes and Watson. What adventure would these two have this time around?

Plot

Following the events of the first film, Holmes has now dedicated his life to tracking down and foiling the plot of his new adversary, Professor James Moriarty. Holmes’ investigation soon leads him to a gypsy by the name of Simza, whose brother has somehow become wrapped up in Moriarty’s plot. When Holmes learns that Moriarty has put a hit out on Watson, Holmes interrupts Watson’s honeymoon to save his friend. And from there, Holmes, Watson, and Simza are playing cat and mouse with Moriarty all across Europe. What is Moriarty’s overall plot? And will Holmes be able to bring this man to justice?

What I Liked

Downey and Law still play great off each other. There’s some great action sequences, and some great gags.

What I Didn’t Like

This film is a lot goofier than the first one, with Holmes starting to act eccentric for eccentricity’s sake. Apparently, his powers of deduction now make him MacGyver, as he’s able to piece together all manner of weapons from what surrounds him. McAdams is back for an extended cameo as Irene Adler, and I was very disappointed in what they did with her in her brief time in the film. And Guy Ritchie’s directorial style goes into overdrive here, with random slow motion shots and excessive ramping and it all gets very annoying.

Final Assessment

I did have a good time with this, even if it did get a little silly in some places. As the old cliche goes, “If you liked the first one….”.

3 Nibs

Movie Reviews

Movie Review – Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol

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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Directed by Brad Bird

Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyquist, Samuli Edelemen, and Anil Kooper.

Backstory

So…the Mission: Impossible film franchise. I remember being very disappointed that I missed the first one in theatres way back in 1996, but enjoying it on video…I remember really, really liking the second one when I saw it in theatres…and I have yet to see the third one. I’ve grown completely indifferent towards the franchise at this point. So why did I drag myself off the couch to go see #4? Because Brad Bird was directing. Bird made my all-time favourite film, The Iron Giant, and then won Best Animated Film Oscars for The Incredibles and Ratatouille. This was his first foray into live-action, and with one of my favourite directors behind the camera, I just had to see this.

Plot

Everyone’s favourite IMF agent, Ethan Hunt, is sprung from a Russian prison. His latest mission is to infiltrate the Kremlin and make off with some nuclear launch codes before a terrorist code named Cobalt steals them. However, Cobalt makes off the codes and bombs the Kremlin, framing Hunt and his IMF team for this act of terrorism. In the wake of this terrorist act, the US Government invokes “ghost protocol,” in which the entire IMF is disavowed. Without any resources available to him, due to the agency being shut down, Hunt’s mission — should he choose to accept it — is to hunt down Cobalt, recover the nuclear launch codes, and clear his name. Is he and his new team up to the task?

What I Liked

The action sequences. Oh my God. Everyone’s raving about the Dubai sequence, and with good reason. The scenes and stunts with Tom Cruise hanging off the Burj Dubai are just spellbinding. Once the action gets going, it just never lets up. It’s funny, too. And not in your typical action hero one-liner way. The humor just kind of stems naturally from the situations. Also really good is Renner, as an IMF analyst who’s thrust into the field along side Hunt and his team when things go south. This is just a great action film.

What I Didn’t Like

Sometimes, it is tough to remember who’s chasing who and for what reason, but at this stage in the game, that’s more a problem with the franchise as a whole. And we never really get to know the villains, instead spending all of our time with the heroes.

Final Assessment

This is just one spectacular action film. It is just so much fun. I highly recommend it.

3.5 Nibs